Morphological Properties of Neoclassical Formations in English

Abstract

This paper investigates the morphological properties of neoclassical formations in English. Two fundamental issues are addressed, first, the morphological status of neoclassical constituents, and second, the status of neoclassical elements. The status of neoclassical elements has a direct influence on how the morphological process that combines them can be defined. The answers to both issues depend on the theoretical framework adopted. Here, the issues involved in the treatment of neoclassical formations in Kiparsky’s Lexical Phonology will be compared to those arising in Štekauer’s onomasiological model of word formation.